It’s just before Thanksgiving as I sit here to write this, and I cannot believe 2025 is coming to an end so soon. It really seems like just a few months ago I was writing last year’s iteration of this tradition. Speaking of time passing, this year marked our TWENTIETH year in business! TWENTY!!! We are so blessed to have such a great customer base, many of whom have been with us since the very beginning.
Last year I wrote about how I long to see our country united and at peace with one another. I’d love to say we have made strides toward that effort, but given the current state of affairs with the government shutdown, it doesn’t feel very harmonious at the moment. In the foyer of our home hangs a large script of the chorus from “Fix My Eyes” by For King & Country. It reads: “Love like I’m not scared, give when it’s not fair. Live life for another, take time for a brother. Fight for the weak ones, speak out for freedom. Find faith in the battle, stand tall, but above it all, fix my eyes on You.” It serves as a great visual reminder of why we do what we do—for others. We are not here to serve ourselves despite what this world and culture glorify. It is up to us as individuals, parents, leaders, business owners, friends, etc., to stand up and make a difference. It’s a drum I beat daily at work and at home.
Speaking of kids, let’s talk about them for a minute. We officially have four teenagers in the house . Sam, Grey, Bo, and Charli are in 12th, 10th, 9th, and 7th grade, respectively. Unfortunately, Sam didn’t quite make it to 18 without any major car incidents. While doing what I will call “hot laps” up and down Sicard Hollow Rd, he managed to find the grip limits of his tires and flipped his brother’s Acura up into a tree. Yep… his brother’s car. Thankfully he was fine, but it made for some interesting dynamic at home for a bit. All four kids are actively involved in club and school soccer. Our boys were part of their school’s 4A state championship team earlier this year, and Charli’s club team won their State Cup championship as well. Sam is tentatively looking at Auburn for school next year, which is A-OK by me! Grey got his license this year and also drives a high-mileage sedan. He’s done great at driving and, so far, is accident-free. Bo is into ALL. THINGS. FISHING. He spends pretty much all his free time fishing or watching fishing videos. Charli is making lots of new friends at Westminster and is going to be the varsity girls’ soccer team manager with Greta assistant coaching this coming spring.
Our weekly schedule is completely insane right now with four different club soccer teams—and some basketball thrown in too, because why not?! Greta & I celebrated our 21st year of marriage this year and took the kids to Iceland for a long vacation in May. We rented a camper and drove around the island while all six of us slept in a 38-sq-ft cubby, LOL. It was cramped and smelly and all the things you can imagine, but it made for some fantastic family memories. The views were incredible and it is basically daylight 24 hours a day during the summer. If you have the chance to travel with your family, do it. Do whatever it takes to spend time together before they’re gone. You only get one chance to be with them. So what does 2026 hold for us? I’m not really sure. I made some goals at the beginning of 2025 toward being a better person, father, and leader. Among those goals were daily time in The Word, reading more books, and exercising. I haven’t always hit a home run, but I’m definitely making progress one base at a time. I hope to continue building on those goals in 2026. They have also helped me appreciate coming to work at The Garage every day. We have a lot of fun together, laugh, and all have each other’s backs. You—our customers—also excite me. You continue to choose The Garage family over a lot of other competition. That means so much to me, personally and professionally. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your faithful support in 2025. Cheers to 2026!
With much love!
Bob Carter – President – The Garage